So, you’ve gone and done it, you’ve found the perfect flight on KAYAK and booked it!
And now you’ve got a snazzy holiday to look forward to. Awesome! But, between sorting out your flights and hotel (which you can also find on KAYAK, just FYI!) and actually arriving at the airport, there’s plenty still to plan.
Whether you’re jetting off on the adventure of a lifetime, or just getting your vitamin D fix in Croatia, these are the things that will happen while you’re preparing for a trip. Don’t believe us? Get searching for a flight and see for yourself. We bet you’ll find yourself in a few of these situations…
You’ll keep checking details
You’re a reasonably functioning adult. You’re able to make it through the day without walking into lamp posts (most of the time) or accidently handing out your bank PIN to strangers. But something about booking travel fills you with self-doubt and you’ll spend approximately five minutes per day checking whether or not you filled in your personal details correctly on your flight confirmation. Or making sure you haven’t selected the date wrong. Or triple-checking that you booked your hotel in Paris, France, and not Paris, Texas.
Pro tip: Get yourself signed up to KAYAK Trips, where you can store all your booking details in one place. That means no more scouring emails to triple check your booking confirmations. They’ll all be in the one place.
You’ll pack and then repack
You’ll get that initial pre-holiday burst of energy. An online shopping spree will commence. You’ll have it arrive at your work. You’ll take it home and try it all on. And then you’ll return half of it. And shove the rest in your case where it will lie for weeks before you realise that you’ve bought waaaay too much. You’ll realise that half of your holiday wardrobe from the year before is still in near mint condition. You’ll empty out your suitcase and start again. You’ll think it’s all good. And then you’ll remember that you opted for the lighter suitcase option when booking. Out goes the pile of clothes again…
Pro tip: Keeping the price down? When searching on KAYAK, use the Baggage Fee Assistant that sits on top of your flight search results. Select the number of bags you’re taking and watch as your results magically update. Now, you can easily see whether your luggage is (or is not) included in the overall flight price.
You’ll start to bore everyone around you
You’ll somehow manage to bring up your travel plans at least once a day. Brenda from finance doesn’t care that you’ve pre-booked your taxi from the airport, but you’re sure going to bring it up in conversation over the coffee machine. You know you are causing your colleagues to seriously eye-roll. But you don’t care, you’re going on holiday!
You’ll take out too much travel money
The closer your trip gets, the more lax you’ll become in regards to spending. Suddenly your £50-a-day budget will increase to £75 before you’ll just round up to an easy £100. But then you’ll see the conversion rate. And adjust your expectations.
You will over-check weather apps
It’s always the same. You’ll check on the day of booking. Seven days of 30 degree sunshine. No clouds. Perfect. On a particularly dreary day in the office you’ll check again to perk yourself up. Hmm. Why is it suddenly 27 and partly cloudy on the second day of the trip? You’ll soon be manically consulting BBC Weather every day.
You’ll have a late-night panic
You’ll awaken at the dead of night, some two days before your flight. “Travel insurance”, you’ll mutter under your breath. You’ll start to make frantic to-do lists on your phone that’ll remind you that you still haven’t picked up your Euros. And you’ve definitely not looked out your passport yet. Panic ensues…
You’ll buy something you definitely don’t need
You’ll treat yourself to some holiday necessities a few days before you fly. And although there will be some important and practical items in your shopping bags, there will also be some less-than-required items and odd impulse purchases. You’re never going to use that mini ironing board, are you?
And forget something you definitely do need
You’ll have packed. The case will be shut and you’ll be enroute to the airport. It’s a shame you won’t know until you’ve arrived that you’ve forgotten your flip flops. But that’s ok, the beach is better barefoot anyway…
Sometimes, there’s only so much you can prepare for. But at least if you search for flights with KAYAK, you’ll know you’re travelling smarter. Search for flights, hotels and car hire over on KAYAK.ie and book a trip to get excited about.